Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season comes to a close on Monday night, when the Raiders host the New Orleans Saints in the first NFL game to ever be played in Las Vegas. While the absence of fans in the seats won’t give the Raiders the welcome they deserve, it should be fun to have pro football in Sin City.
Monday’s sports schedule beyond Monday Night Football is jam-packed. We have Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning, Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, the final two games of the English Premier League weekend, as well as a full slate of Major League Baseball action during a playoff chase.
BetOnline is once again offering boosted odds on a number of different games. Which options are worth the risk on Monday’s schedule?
Premier League: Manchester City to Win AND Over 3.5 Goals (+280)
Manchester City got a little bit of extra rest following their Champions League action last month, so today’s match will be the club’s first Premier League fixture of the new season. City will hit the road to face a tough Wolverhampton Wanderers side on Monday afternoon. Pep Guardiola’s crew are listed as -227 moneyline favorites to pick up the win, per BetOnline’s odds. The game ending in a draw is at +360.
🖐️ Our #LastFive meetings with @Wolves:#MCFC | @ManCity | #ManCity pic.twitter.com/55PkLQ5Pdh
— Man City Xtra (@City_Xtra) September 21, 2020
Wolves aren’t an easy matchup to begin the new campaign. This team finished a respectable seventh in the league last season, with their 40 goals allowed being the fourth-fewest in the English top flight. Last season, Wolverhampton actually beat City in both of their head-to-head matches. Wolves picked up a 2-0 win at the Etihad in October of last year before a 3-2 triumph at the Molineaux a couple of months later.
MLB: Angels, Phillies, and White Sox ALL To Win (+450)
The Angels will host the Rangers in the finale of their four-game weekend set on Monday afternoon in Orange County. The Halos will have ace Dylan Bundy on the mound, which helps explain why the Angels are so heavily-favored (-187). Texas will counter with Kyle Gibson. The Rangers’ offense has been among the very worst in baseball this season, so Bundy really should have no problem whatsoever in this spot.
The Phillies will be in the nation’s capital to face the defending champion Nationals in DC. The Nationals have quietly sunk to the bottom of the National League this season, and the Phils will have a clear edge on the mound with Zack Wheeler squaring off against Anibal Sanchez. The Phillies are -149 moneyline favorites on the road behind their $100 million man.
The White Sox, who clinched a postseason berth last week, will be in Cleveland to take on the Indians. Chicago is the only underdog of the three listed in this boost, at +102 on the moneyline. The White Sox will send youngster Dane Dunning to the mound against Cleveland right-hander Aaron Civale.
MLB: Cardinals and Astros BOTH To Win (+205)
The Astros have endured a rocky season to this point, but they were able to climb back over the .500 mark with a 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks at home on Sunday. Houston finished their home schedule with a solid 20-8 record, and tonight they’ll hit the road to face the Mariners in Seattle. The Astros are -134 moneyline favorites behind Lance McCullers Jr., while the Mariners will have Opening Day starter Marco Gonzales on the hill.
Gonzales faced Houston in that aforementioned Opening Day start, and he was touched up for four runs on five hits in just 4.1 innings of work. The lefty has enjoyed a solid season overall, but a lineup full of right-handed power hitters isn’t a favorable matchup for him. Houston is finally starting to get healthy.
Padres beat the Mariners 7-4 F/11. #Astros magic# to clinch a playoff spot is three.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) September 21, 2020
The Cardinals will make the short trip to Kansas City to take on the Royals tonight, as well. St. Louis is at -179 on the moneyline with Adam Wainwright set to make the start, while the Royals will counter with Carlos Hernandez. The Cardinals took two of three meetings with the Royals in St. Louis about a month ago.
NFL: Saints to Win AND Over 49.5 Points (+300)
All eyes will be on Las Vegas tonight, but most of the money is coming in on the road team. After an impressive win at home over Tom Brady and the Bucs last week, the Saints are 5.5-point favorites tonight in Vegas. New Orleans is also at -220 on the moneyline to pick up the win to get to 2-0.
The Las Vegas Raiders did win in Charlotte over the Panthers last week, but the Saints obviously present a far more daunting task. Las Vegas was able to do a solid job in slowing down Christian McCaffrey, so it will be interesting to see how they fare tonight against a similar two-way back in Alvin Kamara. New Orleans will be without its primary playmaker in the passing game, though, with Michael Thomas sidelined due to an ankle sprain.
With Thomas out, Drew Brees will have to rely even more heavily on Kamara, while Latavius Murray should do most of the heavy lifting in the run game. Tre’Quan Smith, Emmanuel Sanders, Jared Cook, and Taysom Hill should see more targets as a result of Thomas’ absence, as well.
Both Las Vegas and New Orleans went over the total in their games last week. The over hit in nine of the Saints’ 17 games last season, while the Raiders went 7-9 on an over-under basis in their final season in Oakland.
What’s The Best Bet?
We have enough value with the other offers to where we don’t need to lean on a three-way result. The +450 odds in Angels, Phillies, and White Sox all to win are certainly tantalizing, but I’d pass on that one. Baseball is volatile in general.
Manchester City are odds-on favorites to win the Premier League title this season, but I’ll believe that when I see it. Liverpool trounced the rest of the league last season, and City looked much more vulnerable than they had in years past. Starting the season on the road against a well-prepared team like Wolves isn’t the best way to get off on the right foot. There is plenty of value in the +280 odds on City to win plus the over on 3.5 goals, but I’d stay away in City’s first game of the new campaign.
The Raiders have an opportunity to make a statement against the Saints on Monday Night Football (via @VegasNation)https://t.co/KzfBmkbBFP pic.twitter.com/9tSHGGSu83
— Raiders on NBCS (@NBCSRaiders) September 17, 2020
The Raiders and Saints weren’t great on an over/under basis a season ago, but games played indoors tend to be better for offensive output. The two teams will be on turf tonight at Allegiant Stadium, and there’s reason to believe these can be two of the more prolific offensive teams in the league. We know what the Saints are capable of doing, even without Michael Thomas. The Raiders scored 34 points last week against the Panthers, so the 49.5 over/under doesn’t look all that imposing tonight. At +300, this is a very strong betting option.
The Astros have been a more prolific offense away from Minute Maid Park this season, and their matchup against Gonzales looks pretty good on paper. Wainwright is a pitcher due for some regression, but I’m not sure it’ll come against a weak, watered-down Royals lineup. Betting on the Astros and Cardinals both to win at +205 is a solid play, too.
I’d attack the NFL odds boost first at +300, but the Cards/Astros two-way result is perfectly fine if you’re looking for a slightly safer option.
Boosted Odds Prop Bet:
Saints to Win AND Over 49.5 Points (+300) OR Cardinals and Astros BOTH To Win (+205)
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith has been a staff writer with GamblingSites.org since early 2017. Taylor is primarily a sports writer, though he will occasionally dabble in other things like politics and entertainment betting. His primary specialties are writing about the NBA, Major League Baseball, NFL and domestic and international soccer. Fringe sports like golf and horse racing aren’t exactly his cup of tea, bu …
